Coil separators for annealing stacks



Dec. 18, 1962 M. JACOB 3,069,148

' COIL SEPARATORS FOR ANNEALING STACKS Filed Jan. 31, 1961 2 SheetsSheet l INVENTOR. Maze/s L. JACOB a H14 Ar ran/45v Dec. 18, 1962 M. L. JACQB 3,069,148

COIL SEPARATORS FOR ANNEALING STACKS Filed Jan. 31, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 /4 9 /7 I Mm N /3 /f /3 '/3 Mann;

IN VEN TOR. Maze/s L .JA c05- H15 A r rakuEY United States Patent-Ofiice 3,069,148 Patented Dec. 18 1962 3,069,148 COIL SEPARATORS FOR ANNEALING STACKS Morris L. Jacob, Pittsburgh, Pa., assignor to Pittsburgh Annealing Box Company, Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Jan. 31, 1961, Ser. No. 86,201 4 Claims. (Cl. 266-5) This invention relates generally to separators for spacing vertically adjacent coils in an annealing stack and more particularly to the particular construction of such separators.

There are many different forms of separators in the present art. Most of these have spaced arcuate ribs some of which are faced with top and bottom face plates and others employ the ribs on opposite sides of a single plate while a third group employ no plates at all but have the ribs secured by inner and outer rings. In service the top and bottom face plates buckle between the ribs. The outer ends of the ribs become loose and frequently extend into the path of the inner annealing cover which when caught thereon may topple the stack and/ or damage This unitary plate being corrugated allows .half of the gases flowing therethrough to be directly exposed to the immediately lower coil and the other half to the immediately above coil. There is nothing to get loose and; thus catch the inner annealing cover when placed or removed from the annealing stack of coils. washer or annular ring is very simple in construction. It is very rugged and can stand the rough treatment to which such plates are subjected. These attributes are conducive to the production of an improved and less expensive separator.

Another object is the provision of a separator made of heavy annular plate with an opening in the center and corrugated to provide alternate transverse passages for the-flow of gases and has sufiicient area to support open or closed wound coils under annealing temperature conditions and if the coil supporting surface on the corrugations becomes small enough to mark the coil ends then such small supporting surfaces recede from the place. of support to be effective only on that portion 'of the coil being supported will follow this receding surface and be supported thereon. This relieves this coil section and all coil sections thereabove from a distribution of the total weight of the coils thereabove. J

Other objects and advantages of the invention appear hereinafter in the following description-and claims.

The accompanying drawings show for the purpose of exemplitioation without limiting this invention or the claims thereto, certain practical embodiments illustrating the principles of this invention; wherein FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a corrugated coil separator plate comprising this invention.

FIG. 2 is a view of the edge of a corrugated coil separa-tor plate having a reinforcing rib.

FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view of the structure shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a view of the edge of a corrugated separation plate having a reinforcing rib in the form of a channel.

FIG. 5 is a partial perspective view of the structure shown in FIG. 4.

This large corrugated FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a coil separator plate with a modified corrugated form.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the structure of FIG. 6.

Referring to FIG. 1 the coil separator 1 is made of heavy plate in order to supply sufiicient strength when corrugated to support the coils being annealed at the highest annealing temperatures. The plate 1 is annular in form having an outer perimeter 2 and an inner central opening 3. The plate is corrugated, the corrugations beingdispersed radially from perimeter 2 to central opening 3 and since they are radial they of course, must be tapered to accommodate the difference in the respective circumferences of the perimeter 2 andthe central opening 3. i

The corrugated structure shown inFIGS. 1 to 3 have a rectangular cross section with flat axially spaced alternate top surfaces 4 and bottom surfaces 5 providing for the coil engaging surfaces when inserted between subjacent coils in an annealing stack. As shown in FIG. 2', alternate corrugations 4 and 5 provide substantially vertical walls 6 therebetween with the corners 7 rounded. These corrugations may vary in size, although it is preferable to make the alternate corrugations 4 and 5 substantially the same size so that an even distribution of the hot annealing gases may be exposed to the top of the under coil as well as to the bot-tom of the upper coil between which the separator plates are inserted. Thus, as shown in FIG. 1, the alternate corrugations 4 and 5 are made uniform and are substantially the same size.

The channels 8 and 9 forming the interior of the alternate'corrugations 4 and 5 must reduce in cross-sections as they approach the central opening 3 in order to provide a uniform distribution of the alternate corrugations in the complete circular fiat as shown in FIG. 1. The inner ends 10 and 11 0f the channels 8 and 9 are limited in size, and if they become too restricted to the flow of gases there'- through, it is necessary to reduce the number of alternate corrugations in the annular plate 1. Thus, the number of alternate corrugations is limited not only'in their cross.- sectional size, but also the diameter of the central open; ing 3.

FIGS. 2 and 3 show the modification employing'th use of the upstanding radial reinforcing rib 1'2 each in a selected of the alternate corrugations which in this instance is each of the channels or corrugations. Each of these upstanding radial ribs 12 as shown are solidbars and are perferably made no less than the thickness of the plate 1. However, they may be made thicker than the plate I. The depth'of the upstanding reinforcing" rib 12 is preferably slightly. less than the depth of the corrugation between the alternate flats 4 and'5 as illustrated in FIG. 2. This'permits the coil engaging surfaces 4 and 5 to engage in support of the subjacent coils and the up standing reinforcing rib 12 will not come into play unless there is a slight sag in thecorrugations of the plate 1. As shown the difference in the depth of the upstanding rinforcing rib 12 relative to the heightof its channel may be as much as one-sixteenth inch with the corrugations being anywhere up to seven inches deep.

Referring to FIG. 3 the upstanding reinforcing rib 12 is actually shorter than the trough 11 as indicated in the drawing. This permits the corrugations to actually protect the ends of the upstanding reinforcing rib 12 and when the plate 1 is handled or moved or positioned the ends of these upstanding reinforcing ribs are not likely to become bumped or otherwise disturbed, and they function solely to provide additional support for the weight of the coils when the annular separator plate 1 may sag somewhat due to continuous re-heating in annealing furnaces.

Referring to FIG. 4 the alternate corrugations 13 and 14 are larger than those illustrated in FIG. 2 and the upstanding radial reinforcing rib 15 is in the form of a channel having its longitudinal flanges secured to the inner faces 16 and 17 of the alternate corrugations 13 and 1 4. Since the alternate corrugations 13 and 14 are materially wider they can afford to employ an upstanding radial reinforcing rib in the form of a channel. The channel itself tapers from the outer perimeter 2 to the central opening 3 as shown in FIG. 5. The outer subsurface or web of the channel 15 forms a complementary coil engaging surface, and since the channel is made of ;a plate material at least as thick as the plate 1, it may be made to be substantially flush with the coil engaging surface of the alternate corrugations 13 and 14 as shown in FIG. 4. If, however, it is believed unnecessary to have the channels 15 support any weight they may be made shorter to provide a clearance as illustrated in FIG. 2.

Again, the corrugations '13 and 14 which employ the U-shaped channel members 15 as the upstanding radial reinforcing ribs, such members 15 are preferably made shorter than the corrugations themselves, and thus they are recessed from the perimeter 2 and the central opening 3 as shown in FIG. 5.

If it is desired to make the separator plate with more corrugations this may be accomplished by employing an arcuate shaped corrugation which substantially simulates the sine 'wave as shown by the corrugations 18 and 19 in FIG. 6. However, such a corrugation provides a narrower surface engaging flat as illustrated in 20 and 21. These narrow flats also diminish adjacent to the central opening 3 as shown in FIG. 6. This corrugated structure which more nearly approaches the sine wave provides considerable strength in the structure of the corrug'ations and more corrugations may be provided in an annular plate of given diameter. Even though the coil engaging surfaces 20 and 21 are smaller, they are more in number and provide a good weight bearing surface that prevents the marking of the ends of the coil whether it be loosely or tightly wound. corrugations of this character need not be provided with upstanding reinforcing ribs.

Although the reinforcing members 12 and 15 are shown shorter than the length of the corrugations 4 and they may very well extend to the inner and outer edges of this ring separator. The principal limitation is the smallness of the opening, as it is desired to promote free passage of gases at the inner and outer edges of the ring separator.

I claim:

1. In a separator vplate to space 'adjacent ver'tically superposed coils in an annealing stack subjected to the circulation of gases, comprising 'a unitaryannular plate made of relatively heavy plate material which is corrugated, said plate having an inner opening and outer perimeter, said corrugations extending radially between said opening and said perimeter, each corrugation having flat and generally Vertical walls to 'define a substantially rectangular channel in cross section wider toward the perimeter and narrower toward said opening to conduct gases therethro'ugh, adjoiningcorrugations having one of said walls in common and alternate corrugations having their 'fiats at the top and bottom of said plate respectively, said flats at the top of said plate providing a coil surface adapted to support a coil above said plate and said flats at the bottom of said plate forming a coil surface adapted to be supported by a coil immediately below said plate, the coil surfaces of said respective top and bottom flats having a rounded corner along each edge where they respectively meet the walls integral therewith, at least selected ones of said corrugations being provided with an upstanding radial reinforcing rib secured thereto within the respective channels thereof to aid in supporting said coils, said rib being an open-ended channel member with its flanges secured to the inmost surface of its respective channel and no higher than the depth of its respective channel.

2. A separator plate to space adjacent vertically superposed coils in an annealing stack subjected to the circulation of gases, comprising, in combination, a single integral heavy annular plate of substantially uniform thickness and substantially free of plural weldments, said plate being corrugated and having an inner central opening and an outer perimeter, said corrugations extending substantially radially between said opening and said perimeter, each corrugation comprising flat and generally vertical walls to define a channel substantially rectangular in cross section, wider toward the perimeter and narrower toward said opening to conduct gases therethrough, adjoining corrugations having one of said walls in common and alternate corrugations having flats at the top and bottom of said plate respectively in axially spaced relation, said flats at the top of said plate providing a planar coil engaging surface of relatively extensive area adapted to support a coil above said plate and said flats at the bottom of said plate forming a planar coil engaging surface of relatively extensive area adapted to be supported by a coil below said plate, the coil engaging surfaces of said respective top and bottom flats having a rounded corner along each edge Where they respectively meet the walls integral therewith, at least one substantially radial reinforcing rib secured in at least selected ones of said channels around said plate, said ribs being lower in height than the depth of their respective channels.

3. A separator plate as set forth in claim 2 characterized in that, it is circular and said corrugations are of substantially the same size, and said reinforcing ribs are bars spaced inwardly of said opening and perimeter and nearer said perimeter.

'4. A separator plate as set forth in claim 3, characterized in that, the edges of the upper portions of said ribs are rounded and said ribs extend for at least about onehalf of the radial distance between said opening and said perimeter.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,581,488 Lewis Apr. 20, 1926 2,671,656 Winder Mar. 9, 1954 2,904,325 Jones et al. Sept. 15, 1959 2,981,530 Menough Apr. 25, 1961 

